For quite some time, people have tried from time and time again, to fight for their rights – including the freedom of speech. With such a high amount of politics taking place all across the globe, many people feel like they are unable to express themselves freely and without some sort of condemnation from the governments. Although it is true that a healthy discussion or argument on a particular subject can enlighten the weakest of minds and actually turn out to be useful, many people approach it aggressively.
It seems like most people are more inclined to ensure that they are right and the other party is incorrect, but it is also true that most media publications and news reporters are strictly prohibited from writing their own points of view. Political leaders and authorities are likely to constrict their views and many often go far enough to report the said news channel for defamation.
However, what is freedom of speech truly? A large number of people believe that this is basically their right to say whatever they want, whenever they want and however they want. The fact of the matter is that while this is true on a wide scale, it is also important to remember that just because a person has freedom of speech and has the ability to use their voice however they want, they should still not try to cross boundaries, use their rights for the purpose of blasphemy, misinterpret information, etc.
Nonetheless, the pressure is definitely higher on news reporters, bloggers, journalists and media channels, because they are more likely to be restricted to say certain things, voice their opinions, or raise awareness against political parties. This is also one of the many reasons why journalism is considered to be a high-risk career in this day and age, because of the number of threats they receive.
The fact of the matter is that many people are often quick to twist the rules in accordance to what best suits them, instead of actually taking the time to ensure that they are not saying anything or reporting anything that could potentially offend someone by going over the edge. When practicing your right to freedom of speech, it is important to ensure that you understand the responsibilities pertaining to it.
Circumstances under Which Freedom of Speech Is Restricted
As aforementioned, freedom of speech might be ones only right to speak and say what they want freely and however they would like to, as long as they know which boundaries they should not be crossing. Some examples of the restrictions placed on freedom of speech include the following:
- Government officials are obligated to place restrictions and prohibitions on hate speech against them or their concerns, or on the basis of defamation
- For the protection of public interest
- Protection of reputation and the rights of people
There are many other examples of this, but many people argue this simply because it could be considered to be unfair on many occasions. These prohibitions are also exploited by the government when they do not want reporters and the media to uncover some of the things that they are working on without the knowledge of the general public – even if it concerns the general public fully.
However, many news and media reporters are aware of the rights that they have in relation to freedom of expression and freedom of speech. The Levant News Media is one such publication source, which acknowledges freedom of expression fully and reports news accordingly. The Levant is a bilingual monthly newspaper, which is published in London as well as daily online media outlet.
The Levant was founded in 2015 by Thaer AlHajji and is a subsidiary of The Levant News Media International Ltd. The main focus of the Levant are newspaper publishing, video production, broadcasting, advertising and television programming.
Moreover, freedom of speech is highly important in the world today because a lack of it is certainly causing people to rebel and raise chaos. By allowing people to speak their minds, they are more likely to be calm and work in unity since they will feel like they are being heard.